Abrasive article



Nov; 19, 1935. Q. VANIER 2,021,160

ABRAS IVE ARTICLE Filed July 3, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. oL/vmz VAN/E2.

ATTORNEY.

Nov. 19, 1935. o. VANIER 2,021,160

ABRASIVE ARTICLE Filed July- 3, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

OL/VEQ VAN/E2.

ATTORNEY.

NOV. 19, 1935. v R 2,021,160

ABRASIVE ARTiCLE 7 Filed July 3, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

OLIVER VAN/E2,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ABRASIVE ARTICLE Application July 3, 1933, Serial No. 678,822

4 Claims.

The invention relates to the art of securing, bufling, polishing and the like, and more particularly to devices, useful in this field, having a resilient abrasive surface.

Abrasive coated paper, cloth, and other sheet materials of various kinds, all of which I shall refer to in this specification as fabrics, have been used extensively in industrial processes of widely difierent natures for a great many years. They have been used in operations performed by hand and in operations performed by machinery, but the adoption of machines and the development of mechanical-methods for the purpose of reducing hand operations to a minimum have been handicapped or retarded because of the inability of machines to completely reproduce the technique of manual processes.

Manual operations permit the user of abrasive fabrics to alter his procedure in accordance with the way the surface being operated upon feels to his touch as he works upon it. Machines, having no sense of feeling, are not capable of altering the mode of application to suit the immediate requirements, and they therefore do not produce finishes comparable in all respects with hand finishes.

Whereas an unyielding abrasive surface has a positive action in removing material from the work, which may be desirable in certain operations; I have discovered that for many operations formerly carried on by hand, a resilient or yielding abrasive surface is less exacting in the way of accuracy of registry of the work with the abradant surface of the device for bufling, scouring or the like. The operators are able to get better results with such devices when provided with resilient abrasive surfaces, since such surfaces produced in accordance with my invention do not cut with the harsh action characteristic of the usual mechanical sanding devices. With this change it is possible to produce better work at less cost, thus doing away with the need for hand operations of this character.

In describing my invention, I will give in detail its application to the scouring or bufiing of parts of shoes such as heels and soles; but it will be understood that this application is being described merely for purposes of illustration, as my invention has broad application wherever a resilient, soft or yielding abrasive surface is of advantage.

The abrasive devices heretofore used in scour-v ing the heels of shoes have had a "harsh action upon the leather because they possessed no inherent resiliency. The felt used under the abrasive fabric in securing wheels possesses some resilien y, but not suflicient to produce the soft" action so necessary to the production of good finishes on leather. Since my improved abrasive surfaces have a softer action, they do not burn 5 the leather as is the case frequently when ordinary abrasive wheels are used; and, moreover, the wavy surface frequently produced by the usual abrasive wheels is not produced when the work is done ona wheel provided with a resilient abra- 10 sive, surface in accordance with my teaching.

One of the outstanding characteristics of scouring wheels provided with resilient abrasive fabric linings is the way they act when nails are encountered in the scouring of heels. Ordinary' abrasive fabrics becomes scored or grooved by the nails and leave marks on the work because of these scorings. My product, being yieldable and resilient, does not become scored when a nail is encountered and therefore it does not produce 20 ridges in the work. 7

My product remains sharp and cuts longer than ordinary abrasive surfaces. The abrasive lining does not shift its position on the scouring wheel as does the usual lining. It enables inexperienced 25 machine operators to turn out good work, and causes the felt covering of the scouring wheel to hold its shape and to last longer.

Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following disclosure. 30

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus illustrating the use of my improved abrasive fabric on a rotary mounting;

Figure 1A is a view of the apparatus shown in 35 Figure 1 seen in a direction perpendicular to the axis and broken away to show a partial section parallel to a hollow in the abrasive covering;

Figure 2is an elevation of a bufling roller having a lining of this type;

Figure 3 represents the abrasive side of an abrasive fabric made resilient by one type of pattern;

' Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the 4 fabric illustrated in Figure 3; v

Figures 5 and 7 show modifications of the pattern shown in Figure 3;

Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view along the line VI--VI of Figure 5 of one type of pattern;

Figure 8 illustrates one method by which abrasive fabrics may be made resilient by showing a section alon the line V1II-VIII of the rolls shown in F1 e 9; and

Figure 9 shows an elevation of the embossing rolls.

In Figure 1 I have shown a scouring wheel III of conventional form having applied thereto a layer of felt I I forming a backing for the abrasive fabric l2. In accordance with my invention, portions of the fabric 52 are deformed from the general contour of the surface so as to provide portions unsupported by the felt II. The unsupported portions of the abrasive fabric render the contact between the scouring wheel and the work sufliciently resilient so that the action of the wheel is soft", thus resulting in a good finish on the leather.

In Figure 2 I have shown a builing wheel 14 having applied thereto a layer of felt, on the outside of which is a lining l6 of abrasive fabric similar in character to the fabric I2 on the wheel IIL- Such a bufiing wheel may be used for buffin or polishing the soles of shoes; and is therefore elongated so as to polish a flat surface.

Several types of abrasive fabric suitable for providing a resilientabrasive surface are shown in the drawings.

In Figures 3, 4 and 5 I have shown a. fabric l8 which comprises a backing l9 which may be cloth, paper or any sheet material suitable for the purpose. A coating 20 of abrasive grains is attached to the fabric by means of a layer of suitable adhesive such as glue, varnish, lacquer or any one of various cementing materials. The abrasive fabric I8 is made resilient by the presence of the corrugations 22, 23 or 24 which may be of any suitable depth, shape or frequency, or may be positioned in any suitable manner with respect to the edges of the fabric iii.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have shown diagrammatically a method and apparatus for suitably embossing abrasive fabric so as to impart thereto a resilient abrasive surface. As shown in these figures I provide a pair of coacting rolls 26 and 21 whose surfaces have interfitting depressions 28 and elevations 29. The embossing rolls 26 and 21 are provided with connections 30 and 3| for the purpose of introducing steam and water into their interiors, thus bringing the temperature of the rollsto the desired point for embossing.

One method of embossing the abrasive fabric so as to give the desired pattern of elevations and depressions consists in making the abrasive fabric in the usual manner and then, after the adhesive has become set, passing it between rolls with interfitting surfaces, as shown in Figure 8. One of these rolls, for instance the lower roll, is provided with a slightly yielding surface, as by covering the roll with leather, canvas, or other yieldable material. 'Ihme rolls are held at a temperature high enough to slightly soften the adhesive; and are rotated slowly and in opposite directionsso that the abrasive fabric is pulled in on the one side and released on the other. I

have illustrated and described in my copending application Serial No. 542,059 filed June 4, 1931 (of which the present application is a continuation in part) such a method of manufacture of a resilient abrasive fabric. I

.Scouring devices such as wheels, rolls or the like, when lined with abrasive fabrics produced in accordance with my teaching, have a softness of effect which can not be developed with abrasive devices hitherto known. A further feature of my invention is the ability to produce different degrees of resiliency by the shape and frequency of the undulations embossed in the material.

Fabrics having undulations in which the distance from the crest of one undulation to the next is relatively great will have less resiliency than similar material in which the height of the undulations is the same as in this example, but in which the distance between successive undula- 5 peak 22 in Figure 4 is subjected to pressure it yields and causes the succeeding undulations 221, 222 and 22: and so on to 2211 to yield also; and 20 when the pressure is removed from the peak 22 all of the succeeding undulations expand and causethepeak22 toberestored toits original shape. If the pressure is applied to the peak 22:, the undulations 22:, 221 and 22 on one side and the 25 undulations 224, 22s and 22 on the other side yield and permit the peak 223 to yield more easily than would be the case if that peak were anchored at its base to a non-yielding material.

when the pressure is removed from the peak 22:, 30 the undulations on both sides cooperate to restore the peak 223 to its original shape.

Different degrees of resiliency may be obtained by employing different materials for carrying the abrasive grains. Paper or cloth which are the ordinary materials used for the purpose are available in different degrees of stiffness, with the result that diflerent degrees of resiliency may be secured. by their employment. Greater stiffness, and consequently greater resiliency, is obtainable 0 by the use of celluloid and other similar materials as the carrier for the abrasive grains.

When the abrasive surface is rendered resilient in accordance with my invention, among the advantages which may be obtained are the elimination of the wavy surfaces frequently produced by the usual abrasive linings, along life for the abrasive fabric, a substantial reduction in the likelihood of burning the leather, and freedom from nail marks both on the abrasive fabric and the I work itself. A further advantage of a device provided with a resilient abrasive surface inaccordance with my invention is its adaptability to bufflng or polishing operations of an exacting character. Moreover such a device has a softer efl'ect v upon the work, in that it gives the yield or spring which safe-guards against damage to the work by green operators. Work turned out on machinery so equipped has a hi h quality finish and is much more likely to be free from burns.

Various modifications of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. and it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact steps, sequence of steps or manipulation details disclosed herein, nor is it intended to limit the invention .05 to the patterns and types of undulations specifically described in this disclosure.

I claim:

1. In combination with a rotatable element having a relatively smooth peripheral backing, an abrasive fabric covering having undulations, the outwardly swelled portions of the undulations being unsupported by the backing and of a. size and height whereby they are capable of yielding resiliently when pressed by the backing against a I surface to be abraded with a p suilicient tosubstantiallyabradethesaid acebythe rotation of the said element,

2. In combination with a rotatable element having a. relatively smooth peripheral backing, an abrasive fabric covering having undulations. the outwardly swelled portions of the undulations being unsupported by the backing and oi a sine and height whereby they are capable of substantial abrasion when pressed by the rotating element against a surface to be abraded with a pressure suilicient to compress the said undulations but insuiilcient to collapse them against the said backing. I

3. The combination comprising a rotatable ele- ,mentiorscourinmbuilinmpolishingorthelike a'ndalining tcrtherotatableelementcomprlsing a layer of ielt and an abrasive fabric mounted on the felt, said iabric having portions. resulting in resiliency of contact between such portions and the work.

4. The combination comprising a rotatable element having a generally smooth peripheral supporting suriace and an abrasive fabric covering mounted thereon bavingembossed portions, the i0 embossed portions being unsupported whereby there is resiliency of contact between such portions and an object pressed against them. 

